Elder - Droman

Ogham Necklace

Droman is Gaelic for elder or dwarf.
For these pendants I first translated Elder into Gaelic and then
translated it into the ancient Ogham alphabet. These pendants are
entirely hand cut (pierced pierced through the metal) with a small
coping saw and filed and sanded by hand. The front of these pendants
are polished to a high shine and the backs have a brushed texture
so even if you cannot read Ogham or Gaelic you will always know
which is the front. The base metal pendants are sealed with bees
wax after polishing and will gain a natural patina over time unique
to its wearer. The pendants hang from an adjustable black cotton
cord that can be replaced with a jump ring upon request. This necklace
comes with an information sheet about the Ogham
alphabet and what the pendant says.

The Ogham Alphabet:
Sometimes referred to as the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", Ogham
was used between the 4th and 7th centuries AD in Ireland, Scotland,
Wales, and England. The initial alphabet consisted of 20 characters
with a few more complex characters being added later. The letters
were formed by combinations of short lines on and at either side
of a middle line called a "flesc". With a vertical flesc
words are read from bottom to top.
Although surviving traces of Ogham were inscribed on stone it was
probably more commonly inscribed on sticks, stakes, and trees to
mark boundaries. There is also evidence from early Irish sagas and
legends that indicates Ogham was used for short inscriptions on
wood or metal used to relay messages (some cryptic in nature or
for magical purposes) or to denote ownership of the object. There
is also evidence that suggests that Ogham may have been used to
keep genealogy records, numerical tallies of property, and business
transactions.
Of the 400-500 remaining inscriptions a handful have been found
featuring Ogham along with the Latin alphabet, most of the inscriptions
are in an archaic form of Gaelic and Pictish.